COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 51

April 5, 2002

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference and Exposition, June 23-26, 2002

A cordial invitation is extended to principals, assistant principals, division superintendents, assistant superintendents, directors of instruction, supervisors, college personnel, and administrators of nonpublic secondary schools to attend the annual Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference and Exposition to be held June 23-June 26, 2002,at the Williamsburg Marriott in Williamsburg. This statewide event is sponsored jointly by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals (VASSP) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to develop and enhance middle and high school administrators leadership skills, increase their understanding of current educational issues, and expand their knowledge base for educational change. The theme for this years conference is Enhancing the Leadership Mind. The conference sessions will focus on school law, teacher evaluation, instructional leadership, school administration, and academic accountability.

This leadership conference will feature general and concurrent sessions that will provide participants with new ideas on administrative techniques, strategies for analyzing classroom practices and methods for improving instruction, monitoring Standards of Learning implementation, analyzing and interpreting assessment data for instructional purposes, and using instructional technology to teach the Standards of Learning. Training programs and resource materials that support the Standards of Learning will be reviewed.

A pre-conference clinic on school law will be held on Sunday, June 23, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. IDEA Partnership Projects Development Trainers from Washington, D. C. will involve all law clinic participants in an extensive three-hour session on the latest and most relevant issues related to IDEA. Materials, guides, and resources will be distributed, reviewed, and discussed. Principals can use these and other referenced materials to support achievement for children with disabilities. Moreover, this portion of the clinic promises to provide principals with factual information about IDEA so that they can rest assured that what they are learning reflects the law and promising practice. The clinic will also feature a general review of the changes in federal, state, and case law applicable to school administration.

The conference will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 24, and will feature a Standards of Learning (SOL) symposium immediately following lunch, which will include a moderated question and answer session with the Secretary of Education, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and President of the Virginia Board of Education.

The symposium will include concurrent sessions led by VDOE staff members and successful practitioners in the field. The format of the sessions is designed to provide participants with information on Standards of Learning and the most recently developed instructional resources and successful training programs that are being provided to school divisions. Sessions will provide participants with strategies for using these resources. Sessions also will provide information on SOL assessment, school accountability and graduation requirements.

A preliminary conference program synopsis, Conference At-A-Glance, is provided in Attachment A. The detailed announcement about the general session speakers, workshop presenters, topics, etc., will be mailed to you in mid-May.

The Williamsburg Marriott will house all the conference programs. Hotel accommodations are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and we encourage you to return the enclosed accommodations application form as soon as possible. All rooms not confirmed with a reservation by May 21,2002, will be released.

A conference registration form (see Attachment B) and a hotel accommodations application (see Attachment C) are also provided with this memo. Please duplicate the forms as needed and share this information with persons who would be interested in attending the conference. To take advantage of EARLY REGISTRATION, the registration form must be completed and returned by May 21, 2002, to Summer Conference, VASSP, Box K 170, Richmond, VA 23288.

Hotel accommodation forms are to be sent via mail directly to the Williamsburg Marriott. Only the enclosed official accommodations application form will be accepted by the hotel. As in past years, the hotel will not accept telephone requests for room reservations (this includes facsimile), written letters, or in-person requests. This procedure helps to assure some degree of fairness that everyone has an opportunity to receive the conference announcement and respond in a timely fashion.

We look forward to seeing you in June. If you have questions about the conference or desire additional information, please call VASSP at (804) 288-2777 or Dr. Patricia Wright, assistant superintendent for instruction, at (804) 225-2979.

JLD/PIW/eh

Attachments

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2002/inf051a.pdf

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2002/inf051b.pdf

/administrators/superintendents_memos/2002/inf051c.pdf